Lubricating holder for knives



Dec. 26, 1939. Q F, EATON i 2,184,612A

LUBRICATING HOLDER FOR KNIVES Filed Maron ya. 1938 2 sheets-sheet 1 c. F. EATON 2,184,612

LUBRICATING HOLDER FOR KNIVES Filed March s, 195e 2 snets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED s'rAres rATENroFFIcE Charles F. Eaton, Methuen, Mass., assig-nor of one-half to North American Holding Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of vNew York, and one-half to Parshad Holdingv Corporation, lsyracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 8, 1938, Serial No. 194,611

4 A Claims.

` necessary to prevent the iiller material from adhering to the blade olf the applying'tcol, and to this end it is customary, when using a hot ller, to heat the blade periodically, and when using a cold ller, to provide the blade with a nlm of lubricant. Heretofore the latter procedure has been accomplished by dipping the blade into `an open vessel containing kerosene or other suitable lubricant. Such a procedure is objectionable in that it not only involves the use of an open vessel, b-ut also necessitates the removal of excess lubricant from the blade in order to prevent such 1ubricant from either 'staining the .lasted shoe, or being mixed into the filler.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a lubricating holder for .applying tools of the character described, which is not only capable of applying a lm of lubricant to the blade, buteifective to remove any excess lubricant, thereby avoiding the aforementioned objectionable features, andto provide a self-contained unit adapted to be secured either to the frame of a shoe .filler press or to a bench or other support where it is readily accessiblefor use.

Further objects will be apparent from a consideration of the following description andV accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a self-'contained unit constructed in accordance with the present invention and adapted to be fixed in position upon a benchA or other suitable support;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper part of the holder unit shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig; 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of the unit shown in Figs. l and 2;v

Fig. 5 is a bottom planview of the cap member of the holder unit;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the base member of the holder unit; v

Fig. l .is a central longitudinal section of the drip cup associated with the'holder unit; p

Fig.v 8 is a top plan View illustrating the manner in which a unit constructed in `accordance with the present invention, may be secured t usual bracket arm of a shoe iiller press; n y

Fig. 9 isa vertical section illustratingamo c-d embodimentofvtheinvention; "f

Fig. l() is a section on the line I 9; and Y n Fig. ll is a vertical section illustrating anptl'ier embodiment of the invention. The embodiment of the invention illustratedV in. Figs. l to 7 inclusive, comprises a standard'oijthe like upright support I0, formed with a bas "ada e ed to be secured in xed position uponI Vbe'ncli or the like. The standard IIJ supportsv r knifeholding and lubricating device or unit which'co-m prises a base member II and a cap memberuIZ seated thereon. The base member I I i's'provided", adjacent to its opposite ends, with posts; I,3*which extend' loosely through apertures I.,lf""j(Fi 'g.` fg5) formed in corresponding parts ofthe/.pap inl'ernfber l2 so that the latter is free to move'jidown'fand out from the base member. The upper'endsljof d the posts I3 and threaded end areprovidedwith thumb nuts I5 serving'. as abutmentsjforspring I6, circumposed about the posts andfeffectiye yieldingly towurge the cap member I2 downwardly across the base member II. j j

The cap member I2 is formed on its'ufnd face with a generally rectangular chamber cess Il (Fig. 5) across `which extend" i of rails I8. A mass of suitable abs terial such as felt pads I9 are disposed vbetween the rails, as sho-Wn in Figs. 3, 5 andf, afndfthe bottom or lower surfaces of the felt pads `'ar eapV-y proximately iiush with the bottornfsurfacsoi.' the cap member I2 and rails I8. The base.merriber` II is likewise formed on its top sidevvithla chamber or recessll (Fig. 6) acrs which extend a plurality. of rails 2| and w' support a plurality of felt pads, 2 fwhose top surfaces are approximately-iiushj-M surfaces of the member I I and the r V I chamber 2il'of the base member I I a lateral extension 23 (Figs. 3 an municates with thelower end n E* whose upper end ysupports a drip-cupfmechanism 25 which `may be of conventional; construction,v

The drip-cup 2,5 preferably comprises agtrans parent glass reservoir 25 adapted `todiololav supply of suitable lubricant such as kerosene v vmythe like 21 which may b'e replenished-ft o ughr aller 50 iro When the handle 30 occupies the position shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 7, the valve 29 occupies its elevated or open position, and hence the lubricant is free to pass, by gravity, from the reservoir 26, drop by drop, into the upper end of the conduit 24, through which it passes downwardly intothe chamber 20 of the base member Il. 'Ihe felt pads 22 thus become saturatedV with the lubricant and by capillary action the upper parts I9 also become more or less saturated with the lubricant.

The construction and arrangement is such that an applying tool such as a knife K may be inserted with its blade occupying a position between the members II and I2 of the holding unit, as shown in Fig. 4, and when thus positioned the pads I9 and 22 apply a film of lubricant to the blade ofthe knife. As shown in Fig. 2, the base member II is preferably somewhat wider than the cap member I2 so that there is provided a guiding led-ge or shelf 3|` (Fig. 2) on which the free end of the knife blade may rest preparatory tov insertion endwise into the holder, and the entrance of the knife blade into the holder may be facilitated by beveling the lower front edge of the cap member l2 as shown at 32. An important feature of the invention resides in the arrangement ofthe felt pads and rails, which is such that the latter not only provide retaining members anchoring the felt pads in position, but also serve as guides for the knife blade, which are effective to prevent the forward end of the blade from digging into and mutilating the felt pads. Accordingly, with this construction and arrangement the knife blade rides on the rails as it is inserted into and withdrawn from the holder and at the same time it contacts the adjacent surfaces of the felt pads and thus receives a lubricating film.

Referring to the construction illustrated in Fig, 8, it will be noted that the standard I0 shown in the previously described embodiment is dispensed with and the holder unit (members II, I2 and associated parts) is connected directly with the bracket arm 33 which forms a part of a shoe press P, such as is shown in Patent No. 2,061,268 granted to me November 17, 1936. In order that the holder members I I and E21 may be used either upon the standard III (Fig. 1) or upon the bracket 33 (Fig. 8), the base member II is formed with threaded apertures 34 (Fig. 3) in its rear edge, these apertures being spaced apart the same distance as the apertures 35 of the bracket 33 (Fig. 8) so as to accommodate screws or the like fastening `elements 36 by means of which the holder unit is fastened to the bracket arm. In the construction illustrated in Fig. 9, I have provided a barometric feed for the lubricant, which comprises a glass reservoir 26a removably mounted within a cup or cap 3l formed integral with a conduit 38, the lo-wer end of which is detachably mounted within an aperture formed in the base member Ila of the holder unit, with its lower extremity being supported at a predetermined height above to the bottom surfaces of the felt pads 22. This construction and arrangement is such thatfwhen the level of the liquid within the base members falls below the lower end of the conduit 38, the lubricant will fall by gravity downwardly into member Ila until such flow' is arrested by the closing of the lower end of the conduit due to the rise of the liquid within the member Ila. 'l yThe outlet of the cap 31 is preferably formed with a conical valveseat 39 (Fig. 9) to receive a conical-shaped valve member 40 having an elongate stem 4I which projects downwardly bcyond the lower end of conduit 38 so that when the latter is inserted within the aperture 42 of the base member IIa the engagement of the lower end of the stem with the base member opens the valve 4U. When the conduit and reservoir are removed from the base member I la, the valve 40 closes and thus prevents lubricant from flowing into the base member. In this embodiment the chamber 2lia of the base member is preferably formed along one side with a well or depression 43 and a groove or channel 44 extends from the well to beneath the felt pads 22 so as to conduct sufficient lubricant to each of the pads to insure the proper degree of saturation.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 11 comprises a base member I Ib which is formed at one side with a comparatively deep well 45 adapted to receive a supply of lubricant through a filler port 46 formed in the upper surface of the base member. The chamber 29D is designed to receive one end of a wick 4l which extends upwardly and along the bottom wall of the member I I b so as to contact each of the pads 22. With this construction and arrangement the wick 4l feeds lubricant to the pads 22. which, in turn, feed lubricant to the upper pads I8, and in this manner the upper and lower pads are sufficiently saturated to insure proper lubrication to a knife blade inserted therebetween.

In using a device constructed in accordance with the present invention, the absorbent materialor felt pads deposit on the blade of the applying tool a thin continuous film of lubricant which is sufficient to prevent adhesion of the plastic filler. With this construction and arrangement the saturation of the pads is such as to prevent excess lubricant from being deposited on the blade of the applying tool, regardless of the time during which the blade is held between the felt pads, and upon withdrawal of the blade a uniform lm of lubricant is insured. Moreover, since the supply reservoir and the applying surfaces of the felt pads are not exposed, there is no danger of evaporation or accidental loss of lubricant.

While I have shown and described different desirable embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that Various changes in shape, proportion `and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A lubricating holder for knives and the like applying tools, comprising a base member having a recessed area and a plurality of rails extending across and in spaced relation to the bottom of said recessed area, absorbent material interposed between said rails, means for supporting absorbent material in substantially contiguous relation to the absorbent material carried by said base member, a lubricant supply reservoir, and means for feeding lubricant from said reservoir to said recessed area.

2. A lubricating holder for knives and the like applying tools, comprising a base member having a recessed area and a plurality of rails extending across and in spaced relation to the bottom of said recessed area, a cap member superposed on said base member, said cap member having a recessed area on its under surface conforming substantially to that in said base member and a plurality of rails extending across its recessed area, absorbent material interposed between the rails in the base and cap members so that the under surface of the absorbent material carried by the cap member is substantially contiguous to the upper surface of the absorbent material carried by the base member, a lubricant reservoir, and means for conducting lubricant from said reservoir to the recessed area of one of said members.

3. A lubricant holder for knives and the like applying tools, comprising a base member having a recessed area, a layer of absorbent material disposed in said recessed area, means for supporting another layer of absorbent material in superposed relation to the first-mentioned layer, an enclosed lubricant supply reservoir disposed above said base member, said reservoir having an outlet open in its lower end, and a supplyvline leading from said outlet opening to said recessed area, the lower end of said supply line being spaced from the bottom of said area so as to maintain a substantially constant level of lubricant therein.

i 4. A lubricant holder for knives and the like applying tools, comprising a base member shaped to define a substantially flat recessed area and a lubricant supply Well communicating with said recessed area, absorbent material disposed in said recessed area, a wick extending from said Well into said recessed area so as to contact the absorbent material therein, and a cap ymember superposed on said base member, said cap member carrying a mass of absorbent material conducting the absorbent material disposed in said recessed area.

' CHARLES F. EATON. 

